“My daughter Indy was born at 34 weeks, and after a traumatic birth, she was admitted to the NICU,” writes Ashley Ziegler. “I immediately went into hyper-vigilance mode, gathering all of the information, following every direction, and taking whatever steps were needed to help her get healthy. After she was released from the hospital and I was in therapy for postpartum PTSD, my therapist at the time assured me that my daughter was safe and that I didn’t need to be on constant alert anymore. She was wrong, though.”

And today she’s talking about the reality of constantly advocating for your child at every turn. You really need to read it.

— Kelly Faircloth, Executive Editor

“It’s that time of year again — when summer is still hanging in there, but you can just barely hear a crisp fall breeze blowing and colorful leaves crunching underfoot. As August drags on and you do your best not to put up Halloween decorations “too early” (there’s no such thing), you should consider picking up some cozy fall books to read in the coming months,” says Katie McPherson. And in fact, she’s got a few choices for you!